All traditions
2,291 traditions so far, best known first. 12,311 more are on the list to be written. Filter by region, kind and meal.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
🇵🇰 Islamabad, Pakistan and 2 moreQawwaliقَوّالی
Devotional Sufi singing from South Asia, led by hereditary parties at shrinesPerformance
🇺🇸 New York, United StatesGhost Dance
A circle dance ceremony kept by Native American communities to reunite with ancestors and restore peace.Spiritual
🇲🇦 Morocco and 1 moreHamadsha
A Moroccan possession rite kept by Muslim fraternities to cure affliction and restore social balance through music and dSpiritual
🇰🇷 Jeju, South KoreaGut굿
Sacred rites of song, dance, and spirit communion performed by Korean shamansSpiritual
🇵🇪 Peru and 2 moreAyniAyni (Quechua and Aymara)
Giving and receiving as a duty, kept by Andean communitiesEtiquette
🇯🇵 Kishiwada, JapanKishiwada Danjiri Matsuri岸和田だんじり祭
A high-speed festival of wooden shrine floats pulled through Kishiwada, JapanFestival
🇲🇼 Malawi and 3 moreNyau
A secret society and masked dance tradition of the Chewa people in Southern Africa.Spiritual
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDandiya Raas
A stick dance from Gujarat performed in pairs during the festival of NavaratriPerformance
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilCapoeira
An Afro-Brazilian martial art and musical game played inside a circleGame
🇲🇲 Mandalay, Myanmar and 2 moreSand pagodaသဲပုံစေတီ (Burmese), พระเจดีย์ทราย (Thai)
Temporary sand or mud structures built by Theravada Buddhists to cultivate merit and honor the Buddha.Spiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaSatsangसत्सङ्ग
Sitting in the company of truth, to hear, sing and meditate in northern IndiaSpiritual
🇲🇦 Morocco and 5 moreAndalusi classical musicطرب أندلسي
A classical suite of vocal and instrumental music shared across North AfricaPerformance
🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela, Spain and 7 moreCamino de SantiagoEl Camino de Santiago
A Christian walking pilgrimage across Europe to the shrine of Saint James in SpainSpiritual
🇨🇱 ChileNgillatun
A communal Mapuche rite of prayer, sacrifice and dance to maintain cosmic balanceSpiritual
🇧🇴 Potosí, BoliviaTinku
A ritual combat and dance from northern Potosí, Bolivia, honoring Pachamama through ceremonial fighting and performance.Festival
🇧🇲 BermudaBermuda kite
Flying bright geometric kites on Good Friday across Bermuda to mark EasterCraft
🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaKandyan danceඋඩරට නැටුම්
The sacred dance of Sri Lanka's hill country, kept in temple and on the stagePerformance
🇨🇬 Republic of the CongoNkisi
Spiritual vessels and figures crafted to channel ancestral power, healing and justiceSpiritual
🇿🇦 South Africa and 5 moreSouthern African traditional healing
Ancestral divination, herbal muthi, and spiritual care across Southern AfricaSpiritual
🇮🇩 IndonesiaOgoh-ogohᬳᭀᬕᭀᬄᬳᭀᬕᭀᬄ
Giant handcrafted statues paraded and burned on the eve of the Balinese Saka New YearFestival
🇮🇳 Mumbai, India and 1 moreFire templeآتشکده
A consecrated sanctuary where Zoroastrians tend sacred fires and gather for worshipSpiritual
🇺🇸 New York, United States and 1 moreFortune-telling
Reading cards, palms or tea leaves to tell a client what may lie aheadFolklore
🇮🇳 Puri, India and 1 morePattachitra
A cloth scroll painting tradition from eastern India featuring mythological stories and folk tales.Performance
🇮🇱 IsraelTallitטלית
A four-cornered Jewish prayer shawl with ritual fringes worn during worshipSpiritual
🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreFinnish saunasauna
A weekly bathing ritual of steam and heat, central to Finnish life and wellbeing.Home
🇭🇹 Haiti and 1 moreRara
A Haitian street music of bamboo trumpets and drums, played in the Easter seasonPerformance
🇳🇬 Oyo, Nigeria and 1 moreEgungunEgúngún
Yoruba ancestral masquerades bringing blessings, counsel and moral renewalSpiritual
🇦🇺 Sydney, AustraliaSongline
A navigational and spiritual path across Australia that links ancestral stories to the physical landscape.Folklore
🇼🇸 Samoa and 3 moreWhite SundayLotu Tamaiti
A Samoan holiday honoring children with church services, white clothing, and family gatherings on the second Sunday of OFestival · Dinner
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSaint Patrick's Day in the United States
An annual celebration of Irish heritage across America with parades, feasts and green dyeFestival · Dinner
🇦🇺 AustraliaSmoking ceremonyNumbuk Yabbun
An Aboriginal Australian ritual of burning native plants to cleanse, heal and welcomeSpiritual
🇵🇬 Maprik, Papua New GuineaHaus Tambaran
A sacred house of the Sepik peoples, used for ancestor worship and male initiationSpiritual
🇹🇷 Konya, Turkey and 4 moreMevlevi OrderMevlevilik
A Sufi tradition from Konya known for its whirling ceremony and devotion to Rumi's teachings.Spiritual
🇵🇭 PhilippinesPandanggo
A lively Philippine folk dance of quick steps, clapping and balanced lightsPerformance
🇨🇳 China and 1 morePrayer wheelའཁོར་ལོ།
A cylindrical wheel spun in Tibetan Buddhist practice to accumulate merit and wisdomSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreTzitzitצִיצִית
Knotted ritual fringes worn on a four-cornered garment, a reminder of the commandmentsDress
🇮🇳 IndiaNamasteनमस्ते
A respectful greeting made with joined palms, spoken in South Asia and beyondEtiquette
🇱🇰 Colombo, Sri Lanka and 6 moreVesakVisakha Bucha (Thailand), Visakha Bouxa (Laos), Full Moon Day of Kason (Myanmar)
A day to honor the birth, awakening, and passing of the Buddha, kept by Buddhists across Asia.Festival
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelShavuotשבועות
A late-spring Jewish festival of the wheat harvest and the giving of the TorahSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇩 IndonesiaIsra and Mi'rajالإسراء والمعراج (al-’Isrā’ wal-Miʿrāj)
An Islamic observance marking the prophet Muhammad’s night journey and ascent through the heavens.Spiritual
🇮🇳 Kolkata, India and 5 moreNavaratriनवरात्रि (Navarātri)
A nine-night Hindu festival honoring the goddess Durga and her nine forms through prayer, fasting, and dance.Festival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇲🇽 Mexico City, Mexico and 2 moreOur Lady of GuadalupeNuestra Señora de Guadalupe
A Mexican devotion to Mary, with a feast on 12 December and an image kept on a cloakSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreMaha Shivaratriमहाशिवरात्रि
A Hindu night of fasting and vigil dedicated to Shiva, marking his divine union with Parvati.Festival
🇺🇸 New Orleans, United States and 5 moreMardi Gras
A festive day of parades and rich foods marking the final celebration before the Christian fasting season of Lent beginsFestival
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreImbolcLá Fhéile Bríde
A Gaelic festival heralding spring and honoring Saint Brigid with woven rush crossesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 morePresentation of Jesus at the TempleIn praesentatione Domini
A February feast of candles and welcome, kept forty days after ChristmasSpiritual
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreRaksha Bandhan
A Hindu festival where sisters tie a protective thread on their brothers' wrists to mark their bond.Festival
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreAdvent calendarAdventskalender
A daily countdown to Christmas using doors, images, or small gifts.Festival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Zajal: 13th century artist, Public domain, source
- Imbolc: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0, source
- Maha Shivaratri: Navneesh Ramessur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Raksha Bandhan: Suyash.dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vesak: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เ, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Advent calendar: Andrea Schaufler, CC BY 2.5, source
- Via Dolorosa: Gaudenzio Ferrari, Public domain, source
- Navaratri: Mukerjee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mevlevi Order: Georges Jansoone ( JoJan ), CC BY 3.0, source
- Haus Tambaran: Sylt-Tinto, CC0, source
- Qawwali: Saswat swarup mishra, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ayni: Sr raleigh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kandyan dance: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fortune-telling: Taras Shevchenko, Public domain, source
- Rara: Lombinodr Alfonso Lomba, CC BY 3.0, source
- Tzitzit: DRosenbach at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Nkisi: MiddleOfAfrica, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri: Kounosu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gut: ReSearcher at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Capoeira: Augustus Earle, Public domain, source
- Dandiya Raas: User:psubhashish, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ngillatun: Francisco Cavallo, Public domain, source
- Camino de Santiago: stephenD, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ogoh-ogoh: Simondodit, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Fire temple: Uploaded to Flickr by Adam Jones (Copied to Wikimedia by nagualdesign, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Finnish sauna: Eric Koch for Anefo, CC0, source
- Tallit: Mushki Brichta, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saint Patrick's Day in the United States: White House/Chuck Kennedy, Public domain, source
- Egungun: Ìṣẹ̀ṣeAssembly, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pandanggo: John Charlton, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Prayer wheel: David Abián, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Smoking ceremony: Shillings1005, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pattachitra: Unknown, Public domain, source
- Isra and Mi'raj: عامر شاہین, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nyau: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tinku: CassandraW1, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ghost Dance: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Sand pagoda: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0, source
- Bermuda kite: Aodhdubh ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Southern African traditional healing: Wizzy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Our Lady of Guadalupe: Sebastian Wallroth, CC BY 3.0, source
- Mardi Gras: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shavuot: https://www.flickr.com/people/69061470@N05, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Namaste: Ms Sarah Welch, CC BY-SA 4.0, source